Interesting Reading on Monitor

[loneswaneast]

I've just recently started using a heart rate monitor to measure calories burned during my various workouts and had a startling revelation yesterday.

I did Afterburn yesterday and found that my heart rate actually was much higher during the compound exercise/strength portions of the circuits than it was during the cardio sections.

Is this strange or is it old knowledge I just never knew about?

Also, I hiked for 4 hours today and burned 1700 calories. I should reduce that total by about 600 calories that I would have normally burned for those four hours, but still......a really nice way to burn.

 

[tlc93]

Ah!!! I just got the Polar FT4 based on a thread here. I started playing with it and was disappointed to see I was NOT burning the calories I thought I would using the Cathe compendium as a guide for calories burned. I had to do the math to get my target heart rate. Boy, I have to work hard to get up to my target!!! Holy crap.....think IMAX 3! However, I have other instructors I work out to as well and was pleasantly surprised to see how my heart rate got up and stayed up.

I also noticed how my heart rate would come down just a tad after cardio but then 30 seconds into compound weights...I start getting the little beeps again telling me my rate just went back up. It's an interesting little tool that will keep me honest for sure. I'm having fun with it. I haven't used it with Afterburn yet.....YIKES!

 

[loneswaneast]

True

Yes, I have been getting low numbers from workouts I thought would give me higher numbers also, but I think it may be because I'm 64 and age is a factor. I just don't burn nearly as much as I used to and it takes forever to lose a pound.

What other instructors have given you better numbers? I did Jari Loves Bootcamp last week, which is also a circuit workout combining cardio and compound exercises, and burned close to 200 more calories. It does run a few minutes more than Afterburn, but I think it just works me harder.

We should compare notes as we go along. I'm doing a Horizontal Conditioning Hardcore workout today along with a 10 minute cardio selection from Mindy Mylreas latest HIIT DVD. I have been surprised that Horizontal Conditioning actually burns almost as much as some of Cathes workouts which I do at a top intensity level. Maybe it has something to do with muscle memory.....I've done the Cathe workouts often. It is interesting.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

I did Afterburn yesterday and found that my heart rate actually was much higher during the compound exercise/strength portions of the circuits than it was during the cardio sections.

When I first got my HR monitor I was most surprised by how many calories I burned during a leg workout, like an STS leg workout (with the exception of the squat rack routine) or Butts & Guts. I've learned that any time I really get my legs involved, either a traditional leg workout with weights or compound upper/lower body exercises, my HR soars and I often burn as many or more calories than I do during a prolonged steady state or HiiT cardio session. It makes sense, though, since the legs muscles are the largest muscle group in the human body!

Glad you're having fun with your Polar! I do admit, though, that I am relying less and less on my HR monitor as the years go by because I got to the point where I was feeling "bad" about workouts where I wasn't hitting my arbitrary HR + calorie burn goal. I'm relying on the RPE scale these days and I've enjoyed my workouts more (less stressed about the numbers). That said, I do enjoy the HR monitor every now and again. Just not all of the time.

Lisa

 

[Soapmaker]

I did Afterburn yesterday and found that my heart rate actually was much higher during the compound exercise/strength portions of the circuits than it was during the cardio sections.

Is this strange or is it old knowledge I just never knew about?

Same here. When I want to do intense cardio, I reach for circuit workouts with a lot of cardio weight segments. Check out athletic training. It looks like a sweet little workout but it packs a real punch.

I like Michelle Dozois Peakfit cardio and strength workouts. My HR goes through the roof during the weight segments and recovers during the cardio which is the opposite of what she says will happen.

 

[Soapmaker]

Ah!!! I just got the Polar FT4 based on a thread here. I started playing with it and was disappointed to see I was NOT burning the calories I thought I would using the Cathe compendium as a guide for calories burned. I had to do the math to get my target heart rate. Boy, I have to work hard to get up to my target!!! Holy crap.....think IMAX 3! However, I have other instructors I work out to as well and was pleasantly surprised to see how my heart rate got up and stayed up.

I also noticed how my heart rate would come down just a tad after cardio but then 30 seconds into compound weights...I start getting the little beeps again telling me my rate just went back up. It's an interesting little tool that will keep me honest for sure. I'm having fun with it. I haven't used it with Afterburn yet.....YIKES!

Did you use your age to calculate your range? If you did, it may be the wrong range for you. You should do a field test to get your maximal HR. For years, I used the age based formula and didn't get as much out of of my cardio workouts. I was trying to keep my HR in the low 140's and wasn't reaching my aerobic zone. After I started running again, I found out that my HRMax is over 200, so my ideal cardio HR for steady state was in the 170's. I was also surprised to find out that workouts that get me in my target zone weren't the ones usually promoted as high intensity. HRMs are fun little powerful tools. Mine is definitely my best fitness purchase ever.

If you did not do the Ownzone test, you should do it to get your VO2 max and enter it into your settings. It will give you a more accurate reading for calories burned.

 

[tlc93]

Hello Soapmaker! What do you mean by "field test"? I went thru the prompts when I got my Polar asking age, height, weight etc . Plugged in all that info and that's it. I start it when I start my workout then stop when done. It tells me total time of wkout, ave HR, max HR and calories burned. I guess its a simple monitor compared to others and I admit I'm having fun with it. I haven't done a Michelle Dozois yet but plan on it this week. I'm curious to see what I burn with her!!

Its a pretty cool little gadget. Its getting cold in the northeast now, so wetting the strap and putting it on at about 5 AM kind of sucks! Still worth it though!

If there is something else I need to do with it, please let me know.

 

[Soapmaker]

Hello Soapmaker! What do you mean by "field test"? I went thru the prompts when I got my Polar asking age, height, weight etc . Plugged in all that info and that's it. I start it when I start my workout then stop when done. It tells me total time of wkout, ave HR, max HR and calories burned. I guess its a simple monitor compared to others and I admit I'm having fun with it. I haven't done a Michelle Dozois yet but plan on it this week. I'm curious to see what I burn with her!!

Its a pretty cool little gadget. Its getting cold in the northeast now, so wetting the strap and putting it on at about 5 AM kind of sucks! Still worth it though!

If there is something else I need to do with it, please let me know.

Hi TLC. You did exactly what I did when I got mine. It took me years before I actually realized that the formula doesn't work for me. A field test is you going all out to see how high you can get your HR until you just have to stop. Add 5 beats to your highest reading and use that as your heart rate max and reset your zones. It is best done with running on a treadmill or outside.

You need to warm up very well and increase the intensity gradually for about 20 min then go all out. Pretend somebody is chasing you and just run as fast as you can. Don't do it on a short warmup. If you are not used to it, it is a bit scary. Also make sure to do it while fully fueled (plenty of carbs the day before). Your HR won't go up very much on low carbs. I used to get scared when my HR reached 170 and just want to slow down. Now I want my HR to stay between 160 and 180 for steady state cardio.

There is really no value in having higher or lower numbers. It is a function of the size of the heart. Larger hearts don't need to beat as fast to move the blood and vice versa. You just want to get the right numbers so you can train in the right zone for your purpose. If you want to learn more about various zones, I like an old book by Sally Edwards (The heart rate monitor guidebook to heart zone training). I'm sure there are newer more updated books now but that is what I used when I started running again few years back.

Your FT4 doesn't include the Ownzone test. Shame on polar. Look for it in your next HRM. It calculates your VO2 max and gives you a more accurate calorie burn. You can also use it to monitor the effectiveness of your aerobic program. Higher VO2 max corresponds to higher calorie burn and higher BMR.

If you like Cathe, I think you'll like Michelle Dozois. Her Cardio Strength workouts from Peak Fit are as intense as Cathe's if you use heavy weights. Be careful and increase the weights after you learn the program. The weight sections are a bit choreographed. You want to keep the weights well controlled to avoid injuries. If you try her workouts, let me know how you like them.

 

[tlc93]

This is all good information! Thank you. I was planning on getting on the treadmill soon w/ the Polar, just to see how it compares w/ the "calories burned" count on the treadmill (I've never understood how the treadmill configures it, all it really knows is my HR when I hold the handle). The field test sounds like my "intervals" on the treadmill. I get going at my own pace and when I'm ready...I run like hell! Then recover and repeat, Hiit style I suppose.

I really need to go to the website to get a better understanding of how to use it. I don't want to seem nit picky here but I bought this gadget to improve performance and I just want to use it to its full potential.

As for Michelle Dozois, YES! I have her Peak 10 wkouts and did one this A.M. They are doozies huh!? I burned almost 500 calories. I'm looking forward to her upcoming wkouts too. That along w/ Cathes newest....I should become a lean machine......if only I stay away from bakeries!